The USAGSafe Digcharter has just been updated and is now available for download from the USAG website by clicking here. We ask all our current members from utility asset owners to contractors and surveyors/locators to recommit and re sign to the fundamental rules of safety and damage prevention when carrying out works on or near utility infrastructure. If you are not a current member please take the time read through the charter and sign up to show that you are striving to ensure the highest standards in planning through to excavation and to keep your workers and the publicsafe.

As part of charter you will also agree to annually supply strike damage data for the purposes of compiling the annual damage analysis and learnings report. USAG is a not for profit industry led initiative of more than 180 asset owners, contractors, service providers, associations and regulators.

Whilst this sad incident was not as a result of excavation damage it is a reminder of the catastrophe that can be caused by the rupture of a fuel pipeline. Recent near misses and damages in the UK and New Zealand prove that this is a key risk to the excavation and farming industry in an industrialized nation with the potential to kill many and inconvenience large sectors of the community and economy.

Remember that high pressure fuel and gas pipes criss cross the nation both in the road and on private and agricultural land. For any works big or small, public or private you MUST check for their presence and ensure that your area of works has been swept and confirmed clear of pipes like this or any other utilities.

​If any are present you must liase directly with the pipeline owner before beginning work. We send our condolences that those affected by this terrible incident and hope that by highlighting these we can spread the word of planning your work and conducting it safely so that we can minimize or even eliminate the tragic consequences that can occur from excavation damage.

The latest biennial strike damage report has now been published. This report summarises the key findings of over 2700 utility strikes across the UK during 2015 & 16 from 32 participants. It highlights what caused the most damages and provides scope and recommendations to:

Avoid future damagesImprove the ability to analyse the strike data in future years.

It builds on the previous reports prepared in 2013 & 14 and provides a comparison against the previous year’s (2014) data. Many issues were replicated across the periods which strengthens the conclusions made.

Please take the time to download and read the report and share the key finding across your organisation in order to reduce the risk of strikes this year. The next request for strike data submissions from 2017 and 2018 will be made soon. Please ensure your organisation endeavours to submit this data as it is key to understanding the primary areas of focus for risk reduction. Requests for data submission forms can be made to info@utilitystrikeavoidancegroup.org.

The USAG group was recently featured in an article in the Water and Wastewater treatment magazine. This piece focuses on the risks and scale of the problem and the initiatives that have taken place such as linesearchbeforeUdig, training and advances in technology to better inform and improve the working practices of those excavating near utilities.

IOSH fully supports this proactive industry-led initiative and wholeheartedly agrees that risk assessment, planning, safe systems of work and competence are all essential for ensuring that digging and excavating are safe. We need to make sure that all workers involved in excavations avoid accidentally striking the myriad of underground services, including electricity cables and gas pipes. Health and safety professionals are committed to helping employers and workers by raising awareness and promoting good working practices. The latest HSE guidance ‘Avoiding danger from underground services’ highlights the devastating consequences of failing to manage such work properly, with workers being killed or seriously injured from striking live underground cables. These tragedies are preventable and IOSH believes we must act to ensure every worker goes home safely at the end of the working day. The Institution would urge all organisations involved in commissioning or conducting any ground or excavation work to renew their efforts to raise health and safety standards and to sign up to this Charter. We all need to work together to make sure accidental contact with underground services is a tragedy of the past. Jan Chmiel Chief Executive Institution of Occupational Safety and Health

Latest Members of USAG

Scottish Water, Amey, Optimise, Durkin and Sons and CPC Civils have signed up to the Utility Strike Avoidance Group Charter and have joined the growing group of organisations who are keen to reduce damage and disruption to our utility infrastructure and avoid injuring those who work in the industry.

Welcome on board.

This is excellent news and brings our membership up to 48 organisations.

New documents and functions added

The Utility Strike Group website has been updated and now includes a series of documents that broadens the scope of the toolkit and further enhances the usefulness of the documents and Charter membership.

We have also added full search function to the website, making it easy to find the document or page you are looking for.

Please take a look around the site and give us your feedback by emailing utilitystrikeavoidancegroup@gmail.com

Kelly Group have signed up to the Utility Strike Avoidance Group Charter and have joined the growing group of organisations who are keen to reduce damage and disruption to our utility infrastructure and avoid injuring those who work in the industry.

Author

David Burgess CMIOSH is a Health and Safety professional working in the construction and utilities industry. He sits on the USAG Steering Group. The USAG has one goal - to avoid utilities and so prevent injury, damage, disruption and raise the standards of our industry.